Staffer slaps USAS member, criminal charges filed

Last Friday afternoon November 7 six USAS members were handing out flyers in front of Cullen Auditorium. President Renu Khator was having a ceremony called an investiture. Apparently her $500,000 plus salary (it actually comes to more than $700,000 with all her benefits) is not enough, so she must have big ceremonies to show everyone how important she thinks she is.

Anyway while two of us were holding a banner that said “Khator ignores student concerns,” Marie Martinez, Khator’s secretary stood directly in front of us apparently trying to block our sign from the view of the faculty members who were marching into the auditorium in some kind of ass kissing parade. One of our members said, “Do you have to stand right in front of me?” and that’s when Ms. Martinez slapped him.

Wednesday morning our member filed a criminal complaint with the University of Houston police department. The cops tried very hard to convince him not to file charges and even said they couldn’t give him a copy of his own complaint! They relented and gave him a copy. We’re hoping that Ms. Martinez will have to pay a fine. Stay tuned for the further adventures of USAS at the University of Houston.